American Bible Society donates Bibles to remind Congress to protect the nation’s most vulnerable

Circle of Protection follows Faithful Filibuster with Bible outreach

November 15, 2013

Presbyterian News Service

Christy Lynn Wilson

American Bible Society Communications

NEW YORK CITY

Last month’s government shutdown and fiscal crisis may have ended, but Christian leaders remain united in their desire to remind members of Congress that the nation's moral obligation to the poor is far from over.

Thanks to a donation from American Bible Society, all 535 members of the House of Representatives and Senate will soon be receiving a copy of The Poverty and Justice Bible.

During the shutdown, Christian leaders joined together for a “Faithful Filibuster” to urge America’s legislators to keep the poor in mind as they work toward a long-term solution to the nation’s financial woes.

Every day the Congress was in session during the crisis, supporters of the Faithful Filibuster stood across from the Capitol and read all 2,000 verses related to poverty and justice from American Bible Society's The Poverty and Justice Bible.

Circle of Protection, an alliance of Christian leaders committed to ending poverty, organized the Faithful Filibuster.

“As Christians, we believe the moral measure of any budget debate is how the most poor and vulnerable people fare. They do not have powerful lobbies, but they have the most compelling claim on our consciences,”said Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, a member of the Circle of Protection.

“The Christian community has an obligation to help them be heard,” Wallis added, “and to advocate for the protection of the most vulnerable in our nation and around the world."

For its part, American Bible Society believes the donation of the Bibles is in keeping with the nearly 200-year-old ministry’s history of advocating for the Bible in America.

“Throughout our history, American Bible Society has always encouraged Americans to let the Bible’s wisdom inform our lives as individuals and as a nation,”said American Bible Society Chief Communications Officer Geoffrey Morin. “It is our prayer that legislators will be inspired by the words of Scripture to renew their commitment to the Biblical imperative to care for the poor and vulnerable.”

Headquartered in Manhattan, the 197-year-old American Bible Society exists to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so all people may experience its life-changing message. One of the nation's oldest nonprofit organizations, today's American Bible Society provides resources across a variety of platforms enabling first-time readers and seasoned theologians alike to engage with the best-selling book of all time.